Search Marsden awards 2008–2017

Recipient(s): Associate Professor KM Nairn | PI | University of Otago
Associate Professor J Kidman | AI | Victoria University of Wellington
Associate Professor AN Lacey | AI | The University of Auckland
Dr JL Sligo | AI | University of Otago

Public Summary: Hope for social change is a powerful catalyst for taking political action. Our aim is to understand the role of hope in the politicisation of young people (aged 18-29) in New Zealand. How might hope for social change inspire, and sustain, young people’s political action? Brexit, Trump, and recent UK elections have generated considerable debate about the role of the ‘youth vote’, challenging assumptions of young people as apolitical. Working with six collectives of young people, which are addressing social and environmental injustices, we will explore how they put their hopes for social change into action. Deploying activist history interviews and ethnographic methods, such as participant observation and social media, we will investigate what sustains young people’s collective engagement. Each collective will be invited to present their vision for the future as a ‘living manifesto’. The project will fill a significant research gap in New Zealand while making an important contribution to international research on politics, new social movements, and the role of hope. As a society, it is imperative we understand what kinds of futures young people are working towards because their hopes and actions could transform the lives of future generations.